New York Jets announce their 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee

The New York Jets have announced that center Jonotthan Harrison is their Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee for the 2019 season.

The NFL has officially released its list of 32 nominees for this year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award and the New York Jets‘ representative this season will be center Jonotthan Harrison.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year ceremony is one of the coolest things the NFL does each year. The award is given out to a player whose off-field contributions help to better his community or society as a whole.

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Or as the NFL puts it, “The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field.”

Each team nominates one player who they feel is deserving with the ultimate winner receiving a $250,000 award in the form of a donation to a charity of his choice. On top of that, the other 31 nominees each receive a $50,000 donation to a charity of their choosing.

In recent years, the Jets have seen the likes of Quincy Enunwa and Kelvin Beachum nominated in 2017 and 2018 respectively — both players who have done and continue to do a ton of charity work.

Since the award’s conception back in 1970, the Jets have had two winners of the award. Star defensive lineman Marty Lyons won the award back in 1984 while quarterback Boomer Esiason was chosen as the winner in 1995.

Harrison is another very deserving nominee. The former Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman has been outspoken against bullying and continues to raise awareness about the issue of bullying through social media and various events.

The 28-year-old has partnered with and become a Global Ambassador for Stomp Out Bullying, the leading national nonprofit dedicated to preventing bullying in schools across the country.

New York Jets team president Hymie Elhai had the following to say about Harrison’s nomination.

“Jonotthan’s strength and vulnerability to speak out about his personal struggles growing up, has brought awareness to our community and young students who are experiencing similar hardships. We are extremely honored to have Jonotthan as a part of our organization and proud of him as he continues to serve as a role model through our STOMP Out Bullying program.”

The 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner will be announced the day before the Super Bowl on February 1st during a special awards show titled NFL Honors.

Fans are eligible to support Harrison by voting for him on Twitter by using the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge along with his Twitter handle which is linked here. The player with the most votes will receive a donation to a charity of their choice.

Congratulations to Jonotthan Harrison and all his fellow nominees for receiving this incredible honor!